The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a decrease in asthma attacks and emergency department (ED) visits among Black adults and children in the United States, narrowing long-standing racial disparities. Asthma prevalence rose from 8% to 8.7% between 2019 and 2022, but asthma attacks among Black adults fell from 29.3% to 22.1%. Overall ED visit rates also dropped from 17.3% to 12.1%. These findings were published in a letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine by Adam Gaffney, MD, MPH, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance, and his team.
The researchers suggest that these decreased disparities during the pandemic indicate potential for mitigation, such as improved environmental conditions and equitable delivery of vaccines against respiratory pathogens. Gaffney emphasized the role of common respiratory viruses in asthma morbidity and the importance of vaccination against these pathogens. The team’s findings contribute to the understanding of racial and ethnic disparities in the burden of asthma and offer insights into potential strategies for reducing these disparities.
“Disparities in asthma attacks, ED visits narrow for Black patients during pandemic” by Richard Gawel on the Healio website (January 2, 2024)
